Building officials to seek tighter rules, more understanding

Monday, 16 July 2007

Page 2 of 2 Sprinkler issue not settled Briggman said he has complete confidence in the International Building Code. He wondered, however, what pressures will be brought to bear to amend the code in light of the Sofa Super Store fire. In the aftermath of the fire, Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said he would ask the city’s water commissioners to eliminate impacts fees for businesses to install sprinkler systems, something not in place at the furniture store. Riley would also ask water commissioners to lower the monthly fee for most businesses using a sprinkler line to about $275 a year. A number of companies now pay more than $2,200 annually. “You hear a lot of things after a tragedy like that, and one of the things that people are wondering is how far proposals regarding sprinklers might go in the months ahead,” Briggman said. “In addition to enticing existing business owners to install sprinklers through breaks on impact fees, some suggest that new sprinkler requirements should be included in the appendix of the next version of the IBC,” Briggman said. Currently, the IBC mandates sprinklers only for commercial buildings larger than 12,000 square feet. “Some even suggest that if you’re going to go ahead and reduce the square footage requirement for commercial buildings, then maybe it’s time to start requiring sprinklers in all apartment buildings and even in new private homes,” Briggman said. However, such radical changes could be made without considering whether enough water is available to serve all those sprinklers, how backflow will be prevented and how impact fees will be adjusted accordingly. “It’s going to be interesting to see what the city of Charleston’s water commissioners do in regard to Mayor Riley’s proposals regarding sprinklers. I think people will see that as a foreshadowing of what might occur elsewhere or across the state as a whole,” Briggman said. For her part, Graves said she hasn’t heard of any definitive plan on sprinklers being formulated in Charleston City Hall. “I will say that we’re always looking at changing things, looking at our processes and so forth to see how we can make them better,” she said.  “But as far as sprinklers go, I haven’t heard a thing.” Ultimately, Graves said, a sprinkler plan and the decision to make a concerted effort to amend the state building code to allow it would have to come from Riley and the Charleston City Council. “The thing is, regardless of what decisions are made in the months ahead, business owners need to realize that building codes are only minimum requirements. You can always take the initiative to hire a contractor and go above and beyond the codes.” << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>